


Consider All Possibilities

by Misery_Martini



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Taking Chances, saimatsu exchange 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:28:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21910753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misery_Martini/pseuds/Misery_Martini
Summary: Created for Signelchan's 2019 Saimatsu Secret Santa Exchange for Akasaii#1214 on Discord, Hattsoffforkaede on Tumblr!Shuichi's uncle is worried that his nephew is too concerned about others, so he decides to shake things up a bit by having Shuichi try out a new idea.
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 47





	Consider All Possibilities

**Author's Note:**

> Created for Signelchan's 2019 Saimatsu Secret Santa Exchange for Akasaii#1214 on Discord, Hattsoffforkaede on Tumblr!
> 
> Writing fluff without even a speck of angst is quite an endeavor, but I think the yin and the yang have balanced out in favor of le fluff. 
> 
> Everyone, may you consider all the possibilities for 2020^^  
> Make it a year to remember :)

Shuichi sleepily opened his eyes as the early rays of light cast a glow between the slats of his window blinds. He promptly closed them as he realized what this particular day was. Living with his uncle had some pros and cons, but overall Shuichi couldn't complain. His uncle was a great private detective who specialized in fraud, larceny and other white collar crimes. He always liked to say that his suspects never had an idea of who he was when he'd present them with a warrant. All considered, Uncle Isao was in a relatively safe line of work. Of course, much to Shuichi's chagrin, the case that he'd managed to solve as his uncle's apprentice had been a _homicide_. It was just another example of his own incompetence—if he'd only chosen a white collar crime to investigate instead. But Shuichi's emotions got in the way. He hated it. It was one thing he couldn't seem to get a handle on.

Uncle Isao told him that when it came to police work, following your heart was the best course of action. The remark had initially annoyed Shuichi as a cliché saying, but thinking it through, it made a lot of sense. Why pursue a case you weren't interested in? A lot of what Uncle Isao said had a kind of sticking quality to it that Shuichi admired.

In Shuichi's recollection, Isao had always been a pragmatic and logical man. Ever since Shuichi was a toddler he'd stuck next to his uncle like glue. For a while he'd even called him “daddy”. Shuichi's parents were in the entertainment industry as a movie director and actress. Uncle Isao told him early on that they were both very passionate about their careers and after Shuichi was born, his father got a once in a lifetime opportunity he just couldn't turn down. His mother had cared for him jointly with Isao for two years before she left as well. Childhood was a strange time for Shuichi. He sometimes forgot who his father was or what his mother looked like. All he could really rely on was his uncle. Shuichi took much of what his uncle had to say to heart.

Maybe that's why he agreed to, as his uncle put it, “think outside the box” today.

With a sigh, Shuichi finally pushed himself up from his mattress and resigned himself to his fate. He planned this particular day for two weeks now. His uncle even researched and investigated the local hangouts that his classmates frequented to help him out. It was a small change, one that his uncle initially suggested—and truth be told, Shuichi thought it would be a good start to explore his own personal boundaries as well.

He wasn't wearing black today.

The thought entirely unnerved him. He'd gotten so used to wearing his monocrome uniform—it allowed him to blend in amongst his more outgoing classmates. Shuichi had wanted to ask Kaito's opinion on the matter, but the loud purple haired teen had a hard time keeping secrets. In the end, he was sure Kaito would approve anyhow. Kaito always had a kind word for him and Shuichi knew he'd just love to take credit for Shuichi's personal experiment too. Oddly, Kaito's overbearing nature never seemed to grate on Shuichi. He figured enough of Kaito's positives outweighed the negatives.

Uncle Isao had gone out with him to buy the new clothes and much to Shuichi's surprise, he seemed very keen on making sure each article of clothing was something Shuichi would never have thought to wear in a million years. Even last night, when Shuichi laid out his chosen outfit, he felt a bit of trepidation. _Why was he getting so worked up about clothes?_ He'd had the hardest time falling asleep too—his mind fast forwarded to all the gawking classmates and potential insincere compliments he'd receive. That night, Shuichi dreamt that he was walking the endless halls of his school in a festive, neon clown costume. The school warped into a maze and his classmates transformed into loud, barking sea lions. Needless to say, the uneasy nature of his dream made the act of waking up feel like being pardoned from the electric chair.

Shuichi's hand involuntarily gripped his nightshirt over his heart. An air of nervousness settled on him as he tried to push all his catastrophic thinking aside. Forcing himself to tune his mind out, he began wash up for the last school day of the week. The smell of coffee began to waft into his room. Uncle Isao was probably going to get a kick out of seeing him all dressed up in teenage fashion.

Shuichi put on his maroon skinny leg pants, followed by the soft blue and white horizontally striped t-shirt he'd picked out. He topped it with a buttonless tan cardigan and laced up his new, navy sketcher sneakers. Looking at himself in his full length mirror, he brushed his long bangs away from his face with a bit of gel. He couldn't get over how much he looked like a preppy, laid back teenager. Shuichi internally laughed. _If only!_

With a big intake of breath he stepped into the kitchen.

_Click!_

Uncle sat at the kitchen table, smartphone camera in hand, with a big grin on his face.

“Shuichi! You look great today, don't you think?” Uncle Isao peeked out from behind his phone and smiled at him as he tucked the device away. “And now I've got the evidence to prove it!”

Shuichi groaned as he sat at the table. “Don't tease me like this Uncle. I'm already so uncomfortable.”

“Who said I was teasing? I think you'll turn some heads today. Maybe even that blonde girl, eh?”

Shuichi immediately blushed as he looked away. “W-what blonde girl? There are a lot of blonde girls at school...”

Uncle smirked. “You didn't think I'd know? I've seen you hover near her after school, pretending to text on your phone.”

Shuichi looked at him incrediously. “You've been watching me?”

He chuckled. “How else would I be able to find out more on my nephew? Work does tend to take up much of my time and I doubt you'd directly tell me either.” Uncle sipped at his coffee as he placed the plate of cooked fish, rice and steamed vegetables in front of his nephew. Uncle Isao then put a comforting hand on Shuichi's shoulder. “I'm glad you're trying some of my advice Shuichi. It makes me happy to know that you're willing to try new things.”

Shuichi inquisitively looked up at his guardian. He had a habit of melting under his uncle's praises like an ice cube in the middle of summer.

“You're still a young man. You need to enjoy life a little. Believe me, work and responsibilities will always be waiting for you. But your youth will fly by."

Feeling a little skittish for coffee, Shuichi opted to take a swig of some hot green tea as he looked at the delicious breakfast his uncle prepared for him. He comically rolled his eyes at his uncle. “Now you just sound like an old man...”

Isao laughed as he rubbed his chin. “Just jot it down in my chapter of helpful hints, my boy.” He chewed on his broccoli and rice with contemplation as he looked at his nephew. “Your mother had some good points to her character. And I can see some of those same features in you too.”

Shuichi was momentarily startled when Isao brought up the topic of Shuichi's mother. Uncle Isao knew saying anything about Shuichi's parents was a sore spot for him. _Why do it now?_

“Uncle Isao...I'd...”

“I know you'd rather not talk about her Shuichi.” Isao interjected. “But I want you to know what makes you...you.”

_Never a dull moment when Uncle Isao is around is it?_

“My sister is a very whimsical, passionate person. She loves life, she loves novelty.” He smirked as he looked at Shuichi. “She seems like a far cry from my good, obedient nephew. But you can learn things from people who've let you down. And for all her faults if there's one good thing I can say about her it's this: she's lived her life the way she wanted and hasn't given a damn about anyone else's opinion.”

Uncle Isao cleared his throat a bit before taking another sip of coffee. Shuichi had remembered the heated phone calls between Isao and his mother as a young child. He'd cried as Isao told him it wasn't his fault that his mother wasn't there. But Shuichi never believed him. If Aika wanted him she would have taken him with her. But she never did, did she?

“You have a big heart Shuichi.” Isao's words broke Shuichi out of his thoughts. “You'll go the extra mile for people you care about, but you never consider yourself. I want you to put yourself first for once, that's all. That's what today is all about.” Uncle Isao's eyes were watery with unshed tears. His uncle never got this mushy with him. Shuichi felt a small sense of alarm at his uncle's show of affection.

Shuichi shifted his seat next to his uncle and wrapped an arm around his back. He rested his head against his upper arm. “I like doing things for other people. Making other people happy makes _me_ happy. You really shouldn't worry so much about me uncle.”

“And that makes me worry even more, hah.” Uncle Isao gave his nephew a squeeze. “Have fun at school today. And say hi to that lovely blonde girl for me okay? What's her name again?”

Shuichi blushed. “Ah, it's um, Kaede.”

The first order of business before class was to meet Kaito at his locker. He usually met Kaito there, as the astronaut in training had a tendency to run late for class. Shuichi told him countless times that if Kaito would only clean out some of the trash in his locker, then maybe finding what textbook he needed wouldn't be so hard. But sometimes talking to Kaito was like talking to a brick wall. Kaito was definitely a personality all of his own, but Shuichi tried not to hold that against him.

As usual, Kaito turned to him with a huge grin. “Hey, my man...uh!”

Kaito's eyes bulged out of his head. Shuichi tried not to laugh.

“Shuichi!” Kaito clapped him on his back. “You look like a fashion model bro! What's all this about?”

Shuichi began to stutter an embarrassed response back before remembering what Uncle Isao told him to say.

“Ah, um, thanks Kaito. I decided to try a new look today. Think it's good?”

“Bro, we're gonna get you a date today! I'll be your wingman of course and...”

Fearful, Shuichi decided to stop Kaito in his tracks. “Kaito, just...no, please.”

Kaito smiled and gave him a double thumbs up. “Don't worry Shuichi, we got this.”

Shuichi gave him a sidelong panicked look before heading in to class.

He cautiously took his seat, the entire class doing double takes and some girls _and boys?_ giving him small smiles. He could feel his face reddening as he focused on his breathing. He wanted to just _disappear_ from mortification. As he looked up, he saw the one person he wasn't ready for give him a simple, beautiful smile.

Kaede, the girl way out of his league, was paying attention to _him._ He nearly choked on the concept alone. Shuichi found himself unable to pay attention for the rest of the class—he nearly had nothing written down on his notebook. Lamely, he hoped Uncle Isao's experiment had some sort of an upside to it—otherwise he'd be a mess all day.

Shuichi began heading down to his next class as he heard a female voice call out to him.

“It's Shuichi right? Shuichi Saihara?”

Shuichi immediately stuffed his trembling hands into his pant pockets. _Oh God no, why was she talking to him?_

He turned to see a long haired blonde girl, with a pink vest and purple skirt behind him. He gave her an awkward smile. “Yes, that's me. Uh, hi Kaede.”

She looked pleased as he addressed her and she wrung her hands in front of her adorably. “I just wanted to say that I like your new look.” She spoke softly and seemed a bit unsettled. After a beat, Kaede then looked him squarely in the eyes and held her hands out confidently in a pumped manner. “Actually, to be honest, I think you look really handsome!” Her eyes widened and her hands flew to her mouth.

Shuichi couldn't believe his ears. Did she just say that out loud?

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Ah, thanks Kaede.”

“Oh jeez I didn't mean to embarrass you like that, I'm sorry! I've just...seen you at my after school rehersals before and, well, it seems like you really enjoy my music. And there aren't a ton of people who want to spend time after school listening to Chopin or Beethoven so...” She giggled. “Thanks for being a fan, I guess.”

“You're really an amazing pianist Kaede. I'm sure you'll be really famous soon.”

The words rolled off Shuichi's tongue. It was true—Kaede's music had a way of soothing him unlike anything else he'd ever known. It felt like she put her whole self into her music, the haunting notes worming their way into Shuichi's soul. He'd honestly sat in the way back of the auditorium with his eyes closed as Kaede played as a way of relaxing and being in the moment.

Kaede looked at him sweetly. “You're so kind Shuichi. I can tell that you're being honest. Call it a musician's intuition.” She winked at him. “I know you're one of the smartest in our class. Are you studying for law enforcement?”

Shuichi blinked. _She knew things about him? Or maybe she just heard it through the grapevine._

“Yeah, I'd like to be a detective, just like my uncle. He's a great guy.”

“A detective huh?” Kaede inquired as she looked at him with a bit of scrutiny. “Do you really want to be one? Or are you doing that because of your uncle?”

_She sure doesn't mince her words does she?_

“Well, I mean...” Shuichi found himself in a bit of a dilemma. He'd never questioned if he really wanted to be a detective. He just figured he'd make Uncle Isao proud if he followed in his footsteps. A sudden feeling of malaise washed over him as he contemplated Kaede's words.

“Oh! Shuichi, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have said that!” She grabbed the side of his elbow with a guilty look. “I have a bad habit of being straightforward and saying what's on my mind. It really puts a damper on making friends sometimes!”

In an uncharacteristic manner, Shuichi quickly gripped the side of her arm in reciprocation as an easy smile stretched across his face. “I think that's the best kind of friend to have, don't you?”

_Wait, why was he touching her? And what did I just say?_

She looked at him with an undiscernable expression. If Shuichi had to describe it, it looked like she wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. _Was this good?_ Shuichi hoped it was good.

“I have some time to kill after school today in the auditorium. Will you be there? Or do you have somewhere to go?”

Thinking fast, Shuichi replied. “N-no! No, I don't have anywhere to be after school.”

“Great! It's a date! See you then.”

Shuichi blankly stared after her, unable to process what just happened before him.

_Did Kaede Akamatsu, THE Kaede Akamatsu he'd dreamed about, ask him out on a date?_

Shuichi was dimly aware of a pair of fingers snapping in front of his face.

“Buddy you in there? You low on blood sugar or somethin'?”

Kaito's concerned face soon materialized horrifically inches away from his own.

“Would you stop trying to french kiss him Kaito?” Kokichi stood idly by undoubtedly interested in some dirt. “I'm not sure if he appreciates it right now—you gotta buy dinner first, right?”

“Gah!” Shuichi jumped back. “Kaito, I'm fine!”

“Well you didn't look too fine.” Kaito crossed his arms defensively. “You had this dumb look on your face and I've never known you to have one of those before.”

“Got to agree with Kaito on that one!” Kokichi happily interjected. “He's the master of dumb so he should know.”

“Quit your yapping man!” Kaito shouted. “My sidekick is on everyone's radar today, so I gotta help him out! You and me at lunch Shuichi. We'll have the girls crawling all over us!” Kaito winked at him and gave him his signature clap on the back before leaving.

Kokichi sighed exaggeratedly. “I really don't know what you see in him Shuichi. He's about as interesting as watching paint dry, no?” He then impishly smiled as he pulled Shuichi's arm down to whisper into his ear. “Red is definitely your color.”

Shuichi watched as Kokichi then laughed himself down the hallway.

He was astonished at how one small change in his routine seemingly sparked a world of possibilities up for him. Throughout the rest of the day, Shuichi noticed the small changes that his new wardrobe brought. He felt a bit more at ease, more talkative and even a little cheery. Well. Whether it was Uncle Isao's idea or the fact that he was meeting his crush face to face after school he couldn't quite tell.

A happy melody greeted Shuichi that afternoon as he entered the auditiorium. He nervously approached Kaede as her fingers danced gracefully across the piano keys.

“Shuichi! Take a seat next to me!” Kaede patted the piano bench as Shuichi sat down. She began to play a tranquil, hypnotic tune as she further questioned him. “How did the rest of your day go? I'm sure you got a ton of compliments!”

Shuichi laughed. “It was a good experiment but I really do miss my uniform.”

“You should try new things more often! Like music, for example...” She grinned as she played a trill on the piano to emphasize her point.

“Ah, Kaede. I'm not creative, honestly.”

Kaede puffed out her cheeks in a pout. “Don't say that! You don't know until you've tried it. And I have a feeling you're really talented!”

“I appreciate the kind words but I...”

She wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled him closer to her in a side hug. “No buts! Let's play a little together.”

“Ah, um, w-what uh...” The feeling of her hand on his waist was distracting.

She released her hold and placed his hands on the lower half of the piano keys. “Let's have you play these chords at this pace, okay?”

Kaede had him play a set of three chords at a slow, melodic pace. He'd practiced for a while before he heard Kaede sneak in a few notes in between his own movements. Soon, a lazy jazz song between the two of them began to form. Shuichi felt a surge of pride at being able to accompany Kaede with his measly three chords.

Soon, Kaede stopped and looked at him like a proud mentor. “See? I knew you could do it!” She touched her piano gently as she spoke. “Only people who truly appreciate music can make music with others. And musicians have creative, emotional souls. I know that sounds sorta crazy but...if you've been around music as much as I have, you tend to become a bit of a philosopher.”

Shuichi looked at her curiously. “Is that why you questioned me about being a detective earlier? Do you think I'm too emotional be one?”

Kaede answered in an apologetic tone as she went back to idly playing the piano. “I think we all have potential to be whatever we want to be. But sometimes we lock ourselves on a path that seems like the best fit because we're too afraid to think of anything else...”

She stopped and looked at Shuichi. “Or we're too afraid to hurt anyone in order to find out who we really are.”

It felt like Kaede got him at point blank range with that one. They sat in silence for a minute before Shuichi had the nerve to say anything.

“Well.” Shuichi looked at her seriously. “What do you suggest then Dr. Akamatsu?”

Kaede's face went from surprised to amused in a quick heartbeat. The sound of her laughter got him laughing along as well and the mood lightened considerably.

“Weekly piano lessions, minimum three times a week. Doctor's orders!” Kaede's face reddened as she tried keeping a straight face.

“Sounds rough, but I'll give it a try.” Shuichi smirked and felt himself wrap an arm around her and pull her into a hug. “A good detective considers all possibilities. Thanks for being honest with me, Kaede.”

Kaede initially tensed before settling into the crook of his neck. “Thanks for being you, Shuichi.”


End file.
